Archstone Fox Plaza's little brother, the 11-story mid-rise condo addition that would take the place of the short brown edge currently there, has cleared yet another hurdle, though it's not in the clear yet. According to City Insider, the Board of Supes unanimously rejected an environmental appeal that "warned of dangerous wind impact from the side-by-side towers." In fact, city planners said that two wind assessments predicted the "wind problem" might even be improved by the new addition. As noted last time, the building, developed by Archstone Smith and Presidio Development Partners, is planned to be 120 feet tall and have 250 residential units. Another hurdle on the horizon: an appeal of the Planning Commission's previous approval of the project.

Architecture firm Heller Manus has been keeping pretty busy in the SoMa area along 10th, having designed both 1415 Mission (SW corner, 10th & Mission), above, and the 720-unit Crescent Heights tower that never happened. In any case, the images you see now show 14 floors and 117 units of "affordable upscale urban condos" with commercial use on the ground floor— and the same color as the Fin just kitty corner! Developers R&K Investments are also planning 147 parking spaces. The project now has a website up that acknowledges 1) concerns over potential wind impacts (just like the Fox Plaza project!), and 2) that the area is a "neighborhood in transition." Just puttin' it out there.

I'm not sure it will meet the minimum 200' requirement for its own thread.

This would replace the small parking lot on that corner and apparently the red garage as well. Transition is right. This area certainly can become much more densely populated, especially if some of these proposals get off the ground.

This will so improve the aesthetics of that intersection. I hope it gets done.

Hey CityKid! It's been awhile; good to see you again. How's Brooklyn treating you?

I'm enjoying it as much as a law student can. I live where downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, and Brooklyn Heights all come together. It's a cute area and has been a very easy transition from living in the Polk Gulch.

How's the bay?

__________________
Everytime you drive to the grocery store, you are killing a polar bear.

This would replace the small parking lot on that corner and apparently the red garage as well. Transition is right. This area certainly can become much more densely populated, especially if some of these proposals get off the ground.

Agreed. This area, more than just about any other in the city, is just screaming for more density. The area could end up being quite nice if all of the proposals that have come through ever get built.

When part of the Central Freeway got messed up in the '89 earthquake and ultimately removed in 1992, Hayes Valley got a rare stab at redevelopment— an effort that's arguably one of San Francisco's most significant long-term projects of late, notable both for its scale and for being, well, north of Market Street. Empty lots where the freeway once snaked now carve out a visible scar in the landscape, especially viewable in aerial photos. Those lots have been designated by the city with the letters A through V, about half of which will end up going toward affordable housing. The cash flow for new construction, however, has since slowed to a trickle, putting large, dazzling projects on hold. Instead, empty lots are begetting humbler ideas that propose temporary solutions: a communal farm, a two-year pop-up retail project. 'Course, there's still lots more for Curbed to visit— tips, renderings, and updates to the inbox!

Parcel P: Central Mews
Developer Build Inc. planned up to 239 residences in their proposal, which broke the design up among various architects to avoid a "standardized solution." The unifying theme: a "central mews" that stretches between Laguna and Octavia, functioning as a "common green and a pedestrian spine." As long as the lot lies empty, however, an idea being tossed around is to turn the lot (along with the one north of it up to Fell) into a communal farm. Moo?http://cdn1.curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2449/3946469419_76b9fc3ab2_o.jpg[img][/img]

Parcel I: 401 Grove
Designed by Solomon E.T.C.: two buildings totaling 70 dwelling units, most of which will be 2-bedroom units. An L-shaped hugs the corner of Gough and Grove, and a straight one along Ivy street to the south. The L-shaped one: five stories tall, with ground-floor retail and four stories of residential, with the straight one on Ivy standing at three stories, all homes.

Parcel V: Octavia Gateway
Architect Stanley Saitowitz's answer to the challenge of developing arguably the most important Central Freeway parcel to give way to new homes: several big spaces are "carved" out of the residential building, creating "rear yards" that are visible from every residence. There will be 49 apartments, of which there are two designs: L-shaped 2-bedrooms that hug a "yard void," and studio flats. And then there's that below-grade, apparently women-only spa. Words escape us.

Parcels M + N: Cellular Units
Designed by Envelope A+D, it's comprised of several "basic cellular units," which can stay separate or aggregate to create larger units, either horizontally or vertically (up to four units!). And check those folding louvers outside for endless family fun! Just keep in mind that it'll be many a year before the money pipes start flowing again for construction; that's what the Proxy thing's all about in the first place.

Parcels K + L: Pop-Up Community
Temporary structures fronting the Hayes Green: the mixed-use project, which encompasses retail, food, galleries, and gardens, is collectively called "proxy," and is kind of a long-term pop-up retail idea— two to three years goes the thinking. In the meantime, the urban fabric is restored "through a combination of frame, fabric, mesh, wall and volume," all eco-friendly and local and sustainable no doubt. Note also the same firm (which participated in Slow Food Nation not so long ago) has a mixed-use live/work project also on Octavia, though its readiness is also no doubt subject to the big bad economy, just as the Hayes Green lots are. So when does "The Sound of Music" screen?

Parcel Q: Octavia Court
Under construction now, Octavia Court is will be 15 units of low-income rental housing for the developmentally disabled, on top of an arts program space.

Last year, the owner of 1501 15th St, at the southwest corner of 15th and South Van Ness in the Mission, sought approval with the city to build a two-story building on the site of his gas station, converting his business into a car wash. The Planning Commission handed down a denial, and perhaps it was shortly thereafter that plans drastically changed for the site— perhaps into what we have above! The designs, by the ever prevalent Stanley Saitowitz, are for a six-story, 40-unit building with 32 parking spaces, and look something like the design for 130 Dore in SoMa, but with more windows. Recall if you may that Saitowitz has also designed a six-story residential building for the corner of Mission and 17th. At this rate, the Mission might start resembling SoMa more and more.

^I like that one, though I'm not convinced the little courtyard areas that open up to the street (behind glass? Or fences? Can't tell - look like chainlink fences on one side and either taller fences or glass on the other) are a great idea.

^I ride by that site on my way home every day. It would be a nice addition in terms of additional housing and in terms of re-establishing the streetwall, but this particular rendering seems sterile and oddly blank.

__________________
"You need both a public and a private position." --Hillary Clinton, speaking behind closed doors to the National Multi-Family Housing Council, 2013

I've noticed that most of the renderings from Saitowitz tend to completely leave out any indication of where a garage entrance will be or what it will look like. Both this one and the one from a week or so ago on Mission have no indication (from the rendering) that a garage opening even exists.

Looks like the new SFPUC building will actually start going up next week

Quote:

Construction set to begin for green new city building
By: JOHN UPTON

10/21/09 9:00 AM PDT
Construction of a new San Francisco Public Utilities Commission building is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

The new building at 525 Golden Gate Ave. and Polk Street is planned to be an environmentally-friendly new digs for SFPUC staff.

SFPUC General Manager Ed Harrington and Mayor Gavin Newsom are scheduled to ceremonially break ground on construction of the new building at 1 p.m.

“The new SFPUC headquarters will be a world-class energy and water-efficient structure that exemplifies the highest standards of sustainability and set an example for the green building movement,” SFPUC spokesman Tony Winnicker said in a statement.